Week 5 Big Ten power rankings

Every Tuesday during the season I will release league power rankings, which you can find under the College tab at the top of this page. The six BCS conferences will all have their own power rankings, while I will also rank the best of the non-BCS squads.

With that in mind, let's take a look at how the Big Ten shapes up:

1. Ohio State (4-0): The Buckeyes won their 400th game at Ohio Stadium in a 29-15 victory over UAB.

2. Michigan State (3-1): The Spartans received a career-high 253 yards from Le’Veon Bell as they struggled to put away winless Eastern Michigan in a 23-7 victory.

3. Nebraska (3-1): Rex Burkhead ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the Cornhuskers' 73-7 win over Idaho State.

US PRESSWIREVenric Mark had 117 yards and three scores in NU's win over South Dakota.

4. Northwestern (4-0): Venric Mark ran for 117 yards and three scores as the Wildcats claimed a 38-7 victory over South Dakota.

5. Michigan (2-2): The Wolverines finished minus-4 in turnover margin in their loss under the lights at Notre Dame.

6. Wisconsin (3-1): The Badgers received a strong effort from new starting quarterback Joel Stave in their 37-26 victory against UTEP. But how much time will Montee Ball miss?

7. Minnesota (4-0): Max Shortell filled in for an injured MarQueis Gray and threw for 231 yards, and the Gophers defense forced four turnovers in a 17-10 victory over Syracuse.

8. Purdue (2-1): The Boilermakers had a bye this past weekend and will host Marshall on Saturday.

9. Penn State (2-2): Matt McGloin threw for a career-high 318 yards and ran for two short scores as the Nittany Lions beat Temple 24-13.

10. Iowa (2-2): Former walk-on fullback Mark Weisman remains a cult hero, but the Hawkeyes' defense and special teams faltered at the wrong time in a 32-31 loss to Central Michigan.

11. Illinois (2-2): The Fighting Illini committed six turnovers in a 52-24 home thrashing at the hands of Louisiana Tech.

12. Indiana (2-1): The Hoosiers had a bye this past weekend and will travel to Northwestern on Saturday.

Email dave.miller@nationalfootballpost.com or follow me on Twitter at Miller_Dave

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